Dear all, many thanks for all postings about cimzia. I feel more informed and buoyed by others good news stories.

Does anyone know , have experience of missed periods. I've not had 1 in 8 months. Not that I'm moaning, I'm definitely not pregnant!! Doctor has ruled out going through the change through blood tests, I'm only 42. (Positively ancient by my daughters reckoning!)

It did make me laugh about your daughter thinking that, at only 42, you were ancient!

Just a thought - in the absence of any other obvious reason for your lack of periods, have the doctors ever done a blood test to check your prolactin levels? I had the same issue as you and was assured, following blood tests, that I wasn't menopausal. But then I happened to see a different GP who, because of her own medical history, thought to do a prolactin blood test and my levels were found to be raised. I now know that prolactin is a hormone related to pregnancy and breastfeeding and sometimes (in my case due to a benign pituitary cyst) the body starts producing it "at the wrong time". When this happens, one of the symptoms can be lack of periods.

The other thing to say is that the doc has told me that blood tests for menopause are notoriously unreliable because hormone levels naturally fluctuate so much. I have had hormone tests and been told categorically that I am post menopausal due to complete lack of oestrogen. Then subsequently I have had tests which have come back showing normal oestrogen levels and the conclusion was that I wasn't menopausal at all! In my case I suspect the picture was complicated further by my raised prolactin. There are various theories about links between RA and early menopause by doctors don't seem to agree about that and I have been told different things by different docs. All very confusing!

Thanks, I can go in a bit more informed now. It seems to help, that I'm taken more notice of.

Another laugh for u then Tilly, when said daughter was about 6 they were studying the Victorians. Obviously they'd not communicated when that was because she asked me ' mum, when you was growing up did u have horse and carts instead of cars!'

Oh you did make me laugh (again) re the horse and carts! Children just have no concept of age do they? I remember when I was about 6, I had a new teacher at school and when asked how old she was I said "about 100 I think". Actually she was just out of college so probably all of 21 or 22!

You made me lol and think of the following. When I started secondary school I had a crush on my tutor, who happened to move at the end of my road. My dad could see I was embarrassed , and worked it out. As parents do , he pulled my leg. I said , denying anything ' oh dad, it's not what you think, teacher is 22, therefore ancient!'. My dad said how old do u think I (he is). Well I replied your just my dad. On my 22nd birthday he got his own back, my card told me how ancient I was , etc . Dad, who had a crap memory normally had remembered!

My daughter has just started secondary school and has a crush on her head of house, oh history is repeating itself!!

my doc won't do the bloods for menopause on me. He said he would not be correct due to the meds I am on I have not had a proper period for 6 months now and not even spotted for the past 3 months. I am 50 in a few weeks and only have one oviery and fallopian tube and was told I would have the menopause earlier than normal.

Hi Anne. I dont usually get on here much, but ur post sounds so like me. I have two young kids a 7 and one yr old. I am 42n my eldest asks me questions about when i was young like this, "mum see when u were a wee girl in the olden days" cheek i say. I am suffering too with lack of periods. I havent had one for 4 months solid, im on the pill the mini one, and i dont see the point as i feel my cycle and emotions all over the place, as i get cramp but no bleeding. I have a benign lipoma that awaiting removal of and i breasfed my youngest for the first 6 months. I have saw my gp for other things that were important so i havent even mentioned this, but i do need to now also my gp is male which makes it harder too. I have suffered awful hair loss past few months too. I saw rheuny other day and they are retesting thyroid again, but ive had that done few times and always fine. I cant help thinkin i have a hormonal imbalance and i wonder if my meds make it worse. I am on mtx 17.5 and hydroxy. I hope your keeping well otherwise and you get to the bottom of whats going on for you. It sucks being a woman sometimes doesnt it, when we have pregnancy, childbirth and then cycles play havoc with our bodies. I have never wanted to take my period so desperately in my life before..lol. and im defo not pregnant as checked that too. I hope you have a good day take care. Lynda xxxx

Keep smiling. Wow, I feel for you. I'm pleased that my daughter is 11, as she's that much older and needs me less now that my health is not what it was. Hope you've got help. You're right about doctors, when I go my periods is always last thing I think about of late. Normally it's me saying, pleading for a steroid jab!

Kids say some funny things dont they, I work in a college with Level 1 learners (16+) and we are arranging an end of year trip to Alton Towers when one student turned to a colleague of mine and said "you cant come cause your way too old" we asked how old is too old and were told "ooooh bout 36".... I did giggle as he had told me Im allowed to go and I turned 47 last week

On the main blog point though - I have had erratic periods since being diagnosed. I talked to my Rheumy nurse who said that Methotrexate and RA are not in any way linked to hormone levels so go to my GP... Having seen loads of blogs on here about this topic I realise there must be some link so after some thought and some months later I decided to seek GP advice.

GP said it didnt sound like menopause due to more frequency rather than lack of so did FSH tests. This came back at 58 yesterday so suggests I am post menopausal - he thus asked about my meds and history of when things started to go wierd. He believes that 6 months on prednisolone probably kicked my body into the menopause. BUT we now need to investigate why I still bleed - I do also have vasculitis so Im having scan to rule out gynae and maybe have gynae referral to see if vasculitis may be culprit.

I found it interesting tho that he said it could have been the 6 months on prednisolone (cause that stopped my periods) - up till now none of the blogs seem to be getting any sort of reasons so we had assumed it was RA - but I wonder if others have gone into early menopause due to prednisolone rather than RA or other RA drugs?

That's very interesting. I was on prednisone for 3 months, plus had a prednisone infusion of 1500 mls . I shall definitely pose this to doctor , rheumy nurse and consultant. It would be good to have a reason.

It sounds like you must be young at heart, which is why it's ok for u to go to Alton towers! Enjoy it!